8 Ways To Make Leftover Hamburger Helper Actually Tasty

The best part about Hamburger Helper is that it feeds a family of four for under $3.

However, the worst part about Hamburger Helper is that it doesn’t have much staying power in your fridge—it can go bad quickly if you’re not careful.

But don’t despair! There are plenty of ways to use up leftover Hamburger Helper without letting it go to waste.

In fact, some of these recipes may even improve upon the original dish.

So go ahead, pull out those “leftovers” from last night’s dinner: they’re ready and waiting for another meal!

How to store leftover hamburger helper

Storing leftover hamburger helper is pretty easy.

You can store it in a sealed container in the fridge, or you can store it in a sealed container in the freezer.

If you want to store it for longer than two days, I would recommend storing it in the pantry instead of the fridge so that your other foods don’t pick up any weirdness from your leftover Hamburger Helper (although most food will probably be fine).

If you want to reheat leftover hamburger helper, simply microwave it on high for one minute.

Stir it, then microwave again for another minute.

8 ideas for leftover hamburger helper

Hamburger helper quiche

It’s not a good idea to keep leftover Hamburger Helper for the next day, but if you happen to have some on hand and want to use it up, here are a few ideas:

• Make quiche! This is one of my favorite ways to utilize leftover hamburger helper (and any other kind of pasta).
• Just mix together the leftover pasta with eggs, milk or cream (if you want), cheese and vegetables like spinach or mushrooms.
• Pour into an 8″ square pan and bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
• Let cool slightly before serving.
• Make casserole! It’s just like making quiche except instead of pouring into an 8″ square pan you pour it into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
• You can make a lasagna-style casserole by layering cooked noodles with sauce, cheese and meat from leftovers; or go Tex-Mex by swapping out the noodles for tortillas (this makes enchiladas!).

Hamburger helper casserole

In a medium bowl, mix together the leftover Hamburger Helper with eggs, milk and cheese.

You can use any type of cheese you want—cheddar is classic, but Swiss or Monterey jack would also be tasty.

Cook the mixture in an oven-safe dish at 350°F for 30 minutes.

It’ll be bubbly and brown on top when it’s done!

Serve with a side of vegetables for an extra filling meal!

Hamburger helper spaghetti squash

If you want to use leftover Hamburger Helper as a side dish, then all you have to do is cook up some spaghetti squash.

I prefer using the microwave because it’s fast and easy but feel free to bake your spaghetti squash for an extra flavor boost if that’s your thing!

Once your spaghetti squash is cooked through (about 10 minutes), add in the leftover hamburger helper mixture and whatever cheese you have on hand.

Top with a little more cheese if desired and then pop it back into the oven at 350 degrees F until everything is heated through and bubbly hot!

Hamburger helper enchiladas

What you need:

• leftover Hamburger Helper (any flavor)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter for frying the tortillas (or use a nonstick pan)

How to make: Place tortilla on a clean surface and spread 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce in the center of it.

Top with 1/4 cup of cooked hamburger helper and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese.

Roll up tightly like a burrito and place seam side down in an 8×8 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Repeat until all ingredients are used up.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes then remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly! Top with sour cream, salsa or guacamole before serving if desired!

The perfect meal to make when you are looking for something easy, yet delicious! I love this recipe because it is made with Hamburger Helper and your favorite tortillas.

You can make as many enchiladas as you want in one batch and then freeze them for later use!

Hamburger helper with ground chicken

If you’re a fan of Hamburger Helper, but don’t want to make it with the beef that’s included in the box, there are plenty of ways to use up leftover ground chicken instead.

The easiest way is to follow the instructions on the box but substitute ground chicken for the beef.

You can also add some veggies if you have extras lying around—bell peppers and onion would be a good choice here—and any kind of cheese you have lying around too! This will make your soup more filling and give it a bit more flavor.

If you’re looking for something a little different, try swapping the ground chicken out for ground turkey or ground pork instead.

You can also add some rice to the mix if you want your soup to be even more filling.

You could also use the ground chicken to make a stir-fry or another kind of Asian dish.

This will give you all the protein and flavor you need while saving money on buying pre-packaged meals at the store.

Burger helper stroganoff

This is a great way to use up leftover hamburger helper.

You can do this with any kind of pasta, but I like the idea of putting mushrooms and sour cream in there.

You can add in some garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt to taste.

If you have some chopped up green onions around (or any other herb) throw them in there too!

I’ve made this with both fresh and dried mushrooms, and I prefer the dried version.

It just seems to have more flavor.

When you take it out of the oven, top it with some shredded cheese if you like.

You can also add some more chopped green onions on top if you want.

This is a great way to use up leftover hamburger helper.

You can do this with any kind of pasta, but I like the idea of putting mushrooms and sour cream in there.

Hamburger helper leftovers

Hamburger Helper leftovers can be stored in their original container, or you can transfer them to a freezer bag.

To reheat, place leftover Hamburger Helper in a microwave-safe dish and nuke it for about 1 minute or until hot.

If you have cheese on top and you don’t want it to scorch, cover the dish with plastic wrap before heating.

After heating, stir thoroughly to distribute the heat evenly throughout all of your noodles and meat.

The cheese should melt right back into its sauce–no need to add more cheese! (If desired.) This is delicious eaten as-is but also makes an excellent foundation for many other recipes such as casseroles or breakfast hash browns.

Leftover hamburger casserole

Once you’ve had your fill of the beefy goodness of leftover Hamburger Helper, you can use it to make another meal.

The next time you’re craving a meaty casserole, add some extra flour and shredded cheese to your leftover Hamburger Helper and bake it in the oven until bubbly.

You’ll be surprised how good it is!

EnjoyTo make this meal, simply add a pound of cooked ground beef or turkey to your leftover Hamburger Helper and mix it up.

Then, stir in some shredded cheese and whatever kind of veggies you want.

If you’re feeling fancy, try adding some diced tomatoes or onions for extra flavor.!

Conclusion

We hope you found these recipes useful and maybe even a little entertaining.

We know how frustrating it can be to have leftover Hamburger Helper, so we tried our very best to come up with some creative ways in which you can put that leftovers to good use.

From enchiladas and spaghetti squash casseroles all the way down to stroganoff, there are plenty of options for using up those last few boxes of pasta!